Zoya Farooqui and Sumedha Gonur
Business or computer science? When deciding what to study in college, Zoya Farooqui and Sumedha Gonur were interested in both fields. That’s why they picked a program that allows them to explore their dual interests: the Texas Honors Computer Science and Business program (Texas CSB). Once they committed to Texas CSB last spring, Zoya and Sumedha met on Instagram and decided to be roommates. Now, as they are nearing the end of their first year of college, we asked them to reflect on their experience in Texas CSB.
Read on to learn more about their courses, extracurricular activities, and career aspirations!
1. What first drew you to Texas CSB?
We were intrigued by the opportunity to receive two honors degrees simultaneously in a dual-degree program. In a world where business and technology are increasingly interconnected, we were excited by the opportunities that this combined program would give us. Additionally, we looked forward to the small community within Texas CSB that would provide a unique experience within a large university like UT.
2.) What has your Texas CSB experience been like so far?
It is a tough program, but it has been extremely rewarding so far. We have made great friends and learned a lot of different things that are applicable to the real world. Living in the honors quad, taking classes with the same small group of people, and joining student organizations with a lot of the same people have strengthened the community and made it feel like a small college.
3.) What classes have been your favorite?
Our favorite classes are MAN 101H: Leadership Challenges & Innovation and CS 429H: Computer Organization & Architecture. MAN 101H was a great class to meet our Canfield BHP classmates and engage in fun interactive activities. On the other hand, CS 429H is a challenging class with difficult concepts to grasp. However, both of us have enjoyed digging deeper into how computers work and the intricacies of coding languages rather than just typing up programs.
4.) Do your business and computer science classes complement each other?
Our business classes emphasize how technical skills are favorable in today’s job market and briefly cover the same concepts that we dive a lot deeper into in our computer science classes. For example, MIS 301H: Intro to Information Technology Management covers several technical concepts that we also learn about in our computer science classes. Additionally, in BA 101H: Professional Development & Career Planning, we were advised to learn coding languages and practice for technical interviews, which we were already doing in our computer science classes.
5.) How would you describe the Texas CSB community?
Our classes are tough, and it’s easy to want to give up sometimes. However, the community around us is so helpful and encouraging that we always make it through struggles together. Staying in the honors quad has enhanced this community since most of our classmates live near us, making it convenient to form study groups or ask questions throughout the day.
6.) What unique networking, professional development, and social opportunities are available to Texas CSB students?
Texas CSB students are mostly involved in the CSB community through CSBA, an organization that offers CSB students with social events, networking opportunities, and a big-little system. Personally, the big-little system has been great because we can talk to a Texas CSB upperclassman about opportunities and their experiences. We also have MAGICS brunches for Marginalized Genders in Computer Science. These brunches are a great way to network with other students and find out about more opportunities in computer science, especially for women in the field. Aside from the social aspect, Texas CSB offers special networking events with companies such as Goldman Sachs. The best part is also having the opportunity to attend the Canfield BHP social and networking events, too!
7.) How do you balance work, school, and sleep?
We try to finish our computer science labs during office hours with help from our TAs, which speeds up the process. We try to spread out our MIS 301H readings throughout the week so that they don’t pile up on us right before the due date. We also try to focus in class so that we have to spend less time outside of class catching up on concepts.
8.) How do you plan to use your Texas CSB education for your career?
Having a degree in both computer science and business gives us more flexibility and job opportunities. We both plan to start off our careers in software engineering and then transition into more business-oriented roles in the future. Hopefully, our Texas CSB degrees allow us to make this transition more efficiently.